Low birthweight and obesity during adolescence linked to substantial risk of diabetes: Study

This study aimed to determine the relative contributions of low birth weight and overweight during childhood and young adulthood to the risk of type 2 diabetes in men. They included 34,231 men born between1945 and 1961 from the population-based BMI Epidemiology Study (BEST) Gothenburg with data on birthweight and overweight status in childhood (8 years, BMI >17.9 kg/m2) and young adulthood (20 years, BMI >25 kg/m2). Participants were followed from age 30 years until 31 December 2019. Information on type 2 diabetes diagnoses was retrieved from Swedish national registers. HRs and 95% CIs for the risk of early (≤59.4 years) and late (>59.4 years) type 2 diabetes were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: During follow-up, a total of 2733 cases of type 2 diabetes were diagnosed.

Birthweight below the median (<3.6 kg) and overweight at age 20 (BMI >25 kg/m2), but not overweight at age 8 (BMI >17.9 kg/m2), were associated with an increased risk of early and late type 2 diabetes. Of note, a birthweight below the median followed by overweight at age 20 years was associated with a substantially increased risk of early type 2 diabetes (HR 6.07, 95% CI 5.08, 7.27), and a low birth weight (≤2.5 kg) combined with overweight at age 20 years was associated with a massive risk of early type 2 diabetes (HR 9.94, 95% CI 6.57, 15.05). Low birth weight and overweight in young adulthood are the major developmental determinants of adult type 2 diabetes risk in men. They contribute in an additive manner to the risk of type 2 diabetes. To reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, young adult overweight should be avoided, especially in boys with a low birth weight.

Reference:

Célind J, Bygdell M, Bramsved R, Martikainen J, Ohlsson C, Kindblom JM. Low birth weight and overweight during childhood and young adulthood and the risk of type 2 diabetes in men: a population-based cohort study. Diabetologia. 2024 Feb 22. doi: 10.1007/s00125-024-06101-y. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38386069.